It's every parent's worst nightmare: a house fire in the middle of the night while everyone is asleep. How can you make sure everyone gets out safely?

For one family this nightmare became a reality and they narrowly avoided tragedy.

As the Brittenum family of eight slept, a fire started in their home. Smoke began to fill the house. That's when 8-year-old Tamesha, who has spina bifida, woke up at 3 a.m. She said, "God woke me up, and then I woke my daddy up."

Though they all safely escaped, they left behind everything else, including equipment the parents were using for their job to support the family. Their faith in God is sustaining them through this difficult time, as well as generous donations from the community.

When Tiff Brittenum posted her story on her local news station's Facebook page, people immediately began stepping up with clothing donations as well as asking for a place to make monetary donations.

Even in the midst of this trial, we can see so many good things happening. Not only was young Tamesha miraculously woken up and able to save her family, but many others have stepped forward to help this family in need.

Have you had a fire in your home? Does your family know what to do in the event of a fire?

Install smoke detectors throughout your home and make sure to test them regularly and replace batteries as necessary.

Have an escape route plan in place for your family.

Set up a meeting place for your family so you can quickly see if everyone is out safe.

Practice fire safety by holding fire drills so everyone knows what to do if there is smoke or fire present.

Do regular checks of appliances and wiring for exposed wires or malfunctioning parts.

Remove extra debris from inside and outside your home that would fuel a fire, causing it to spread more quickly.

Teach children the importance of not playing with matches or other activities that may start a fire.

Hopefully you won't ever experience a house fire, but by being prepared, you may prevent an even worse tragedy like 8-year-old Tamesha was able to. Things can be replaced, but people can't. Please take precautions to protect your family.